Fort Queyras (France)

Fort Queyras is located in the commune of Château-Ville-Vieille, in the Hautes-Alpes department of France. Built on top of a rocky peak (a glacial lock) it barred the Guil valley, on the border between the Hautes-Alpes and Italy, 50 km from Briançon and 80 km from Gap. A stronghold which protected Upper Dauphiné from Savoyard or Provençal incursions, it also guarded Escarton du Queyras , which had enjoyed wide autonomy since 1343, like all of Briançonnais .

Fort-Queyras goes down in history as a castle annexed to the Dauphiné in 1265. In 1301 mention is made of the castrum Cadrassi. In the second half of the 16th century the castle fell prey to the wars of religion. The place was used for a long time as a prison, especially for the "witches" awaiting the stake.

In 1695 it resisted the assaults of the Savoy troops but the village was partially destroyed. Following this last invasion, in the same year, Vauban came to inspect the border of the Alps and drew up plans to make the castle inviolable. He provided the fort to the north-east with an entirely new enclosure, with escarpment, ditch, counterscarp and crescent, and in 1700 provided for a large extension of the enclosure on the western front. In the mid-19th century, the structure's defenses were reinforced by installing casemate batteries. The fort was disarmed from 1940 to 1944, before returning to civilian life in 1967.

Listed in the inventory of historic monuments in 1948, the castle today belongs to private owners and is open to visitors. In 2021 the castle was sold by public auction to the Judicial Court of GAP for the sum of 661,000 euros.